Gibson Brands Inc. and Aston Martin Present: ANESTHESIA: THE ART OF OBLIVION
A Collaboration On Contemporary Sedatives
Multimedia Artist and Musician Billy Morrison Teams Up With Urban Artist Plastic Jesus For A Sunset Boulevard Take Over At The Iconic Former Tower Records For One Weekend Only
Since it closed in 2006, the Tower Records storefront on West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip has sat dormant, only being restored to a shade of its former glory last year by Gibson Brands Inc. Now, the iconic guitar brand has teamed up with punk rocker turned artist Billy Morrison and installation master Plastic Jesus for a show-stopping, one-weekend only art exhibit at the legendary storefront. Anesthesia: The Art of Oblivion will run for one weekend only, opening Friday, February 24 with a VIP reception from 7-11pm, and open to the public Saturday, February 25 from Noon to 9pm.
Heralded as the ultimate collaboration, Anesthesia: The Art of Oblivion will feature 36 works from internationally acclaimed artists Billy Morrison and Plastic Jesus (12 new works by Morrison, 12 by Plastic Jesus, and an additional 12 pieces created between the pair), ranging from paintings to large-scale installation pieces. Co-sponsor Aston Martin will be showing off their coolest cars, and VIPs can meet the artists in the VIP lounge: a posh tour bus parked out back.
Rebellion, resistance, and escapism have become synonymous with the plight of our contemporary culture. Absorbed with the constant influx of stimulation and curated excitement of other people’s lives, we have become numb to the reality of the world. The distractions that we surround ourselves with from social media to retail therapy to gossip magazines and the destruction of our environment have set the art world teetering on a precipice – one that international artists Billy Morrison and Plastic Jesus seek to walk along through their upcoming event. The resulting pieces are a visual assault that drop us back into reality, using contemporary distractions as a way to pull us back into the world we actually inhabit.
Held at Gibson Brands Sunset (the old Tower Records store) on Sunset Boulevard, Anesthesia: The Art of Oblivion confronts the dubious nature of notoriety, losing ourselves through our vices, and drawing on these experiences to create escapes within popular culture through art.
Anesthesia: The Art of Oblivion ill be on view at Gibson Brands Sunset on Sunset Blvd. from February 24 - February 25, 2017 with an public opening reception Saturday, February 25 from 12-9pm. Both artists are available for interviews Saturday, February 25.
About Billy Morrison
Best known for playing guitar for Billy Idol, Billy Morrison has been a long time collector of contemporary art and in the past several years has begun to create his own pieces. His mixed media works allow him to express provocative and thought-inspiring statements that embrace concepts of duality and mixed metaphors that have been collected by the likes of Shepard Fairey, Sharon Osbourne, Craig Susser, and even the US capitol in Washington, DC. Morrison has had three successful art shows in Los Angeles with knockout attendance and has additionally collaborated with Lincoln Townley and RISK to the delight of the New York Post, the Daily Mail, Vanity Fair, The LA Weekly, and Forbes.
About Plastic Jesus
Inspired by world news events, society, the urban environment, culture, and politics, Plastic Jesus creates work that engages with society on numerous levels. By combining humor, irony, criticism, and unique opinion he questions the norms and confronts our compliance of culture and current affairs through bold stencil and installation work across multiple international cities. His use of scale, contradiction, and engagement highlight contemporary issues and opinions that are often left unquestioned and work to challenge our acceptance of societal norms. Plastic Jesus has been featured by The Huffington Post, BBC, Time Magazine, The LA Times, the LA Weekly, MSNBC, The Daily Telegraph, and more.